Between Two Worlds
by Sailor Grape
Summary: Usagi can't remember how she got to the DBZ dimension, and she's in danger from someone she can't see. Can she figure out who she is and what's going on in time to save herself? **Woohoo! ch.1 of the sequel now up!**
1. Mysterious new girl

I realize that some people are questioning Trunks' apparent temper in this fic, so I thought I'd address it. I know Trunks is usually a mellow guy in sorts, but in my fic, his temper is just a little off. Bear with me. Since I'm so used to writing only SM fics, my use of wording and my writing style is going to have to take some adjusting to in order to fully capture the DBZ world. As the fic progresses, I hope to perfect my style.   
  
  
  
Disclaimer: These characters (in both anime) are not mine, blah blah blah...  
  
  
  
  
Usagi's head hurt.  
  
She groaned, stirring slightly. What happened? Why did she have such a horrible  
headache? Her eyes squinted open for a brief second, but even that much effort  
exhausted her back into a troubled sleep. She began to dream...  
  
  
Lightning crashed overhead, illuminating the stormy sky. In the gushing rain stood  
six people. Usagi saw no details, only silhouettes. They were in a battle of some kind,  
each one holding a fighting stance.  
  
Suddenly one of them was attacked by a glowing blue beam faster than light itself.   
She collapsed onto the ground, her chest slowly falling with one last breath...  
  
  
Usagi's eyes flew open as she shot straight up in bed. She blinked furiously, trying  
to adjust to the brightness of the room. Once her vision cleared, she looked around.   
The room was large, holding not much else than the bed she rested in. Sunlight filtered  
in through the open window.  
  
Usagi tensed as the doorknob turned. A head poked into the room. "Oh, you're  
awake!" the person exclaimed.  
  
Stepping into the room, Usagi could see the beautiful woman better. With a mane  
of blue hair falling straight onto the shoulders of her white lab coat, she didn't look a  
day over twenty.  
  
"How are you feeling?" the woman asked, stepping up to the bed.  
  
Usagi groaned tiredly. "My head is killing me," she replied groggily. "Who are  
you? Where am I? What happened to me?"  
  
"Whoa, one question at a time!" the woman laughed. "My name is Bulma. I've  
been taking care of you this past week while you ere unconscious. As for what  
happened to you, I really don't know. You were found in the woods and brought to me."  
  
"I've been unconscious for a week?" she asked incredulously. "But I need to  
help..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Need to help who?"  
  
"That's just it," she shook her head sadly. "I don't remember."  
  
"That's all right. It's still early. Do you at least remember who you are?"  
  
"Tsukino Usagi," the blonde-haired girl answered. "Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Likewise. Now, how about we go down to the dining room? A bit of dinner might  
help."  
  
With Bulma's help, Usagi made it out of bed and into the dining room on the other  
side of the house. There were two people already seated at the table, and a baby sat  
in a high chair at the end.  
  
"Look who's finally awake," Bulma announced, squeezing Usagi's shoulder lightly.   
"This is Usagi. Usagi, I would like to introduce you to Son Gohan-" she gestured to the  
spiky, black-haired boy -"and Trunks, my son." She gestured to the other, a man of  
nineteen with short lavender eyes and solemn eyes. "This little one here is baby  
Trunks." She made a face at the baby, causing him to erupt in giggles.  
  
"Ok, let me explain," Bulma offered after a confused expression crossed Usagi's  
face. "Trunks came from the future, so we're blessed to have baby Trunks and the man  
he'll grow up to be. It's a lot to take in, I know." She brightened up. "How about we eat  
now? It's getting cold!"  
  
She sat Usagi to her left, across from the others, then resumed her spot at the  
head of the table.  
  
Usagi leaned back, taking in everything around her. She ate quietly, listening  
intently to their conversation in an attempt to get to know these people. Every once in a while she would steal a glance at Trunks, who finally got so annoyed that he called her on it.  
  
"Why do you keep staring at me?" he demanded, glaring at her.  
  
"I don't mean to.. It's just that... you look familiar to me."  
  
"Well, we've never met. I'm sure I would have remembered your weird odangos," he  
smirked.  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "What did you say, pretty-boy?" she growled, jumping to her  
feet.  
  
He stood quickly to match her, knocking his chair over.  
  
"Usagi, Trunks, onegai!" Bulma wailed. "Trunks, you should know better than to  
insult guests! Really! I would like to think you'd been raised better than that!"  
  
"In this world, you haven't raised me yet," he muttered.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I'm taking off." With that, he stormed out of the  
house and flew off.  
  
Usagi stared after him, gaping.  
  
"What is it, Usagi?" Gohan inquired.  
  
"He flew!" she stammered, both shocked and amazed.  
  
"So? Ohhhh..." A wave of understanding washed over him. "You've never seen  
anyone fly before?"  
  
"Not humans, no." She shook her head.  
  
"Well, I guess it's not a big deal to me because I fly too."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Gohan laughed. "It's just something I know how to do. It's also really helpful in  
fighting."  
  
"You fight too?" Usagi exclaimed.  
  
"Too? Hai, I fight to protect the earth. Demo... The way you said that made it  
sound like you're also a fighter."  
  
"I am," she admitted nervously. "I don't know where I am now, but where I'm from, I would fight for the peace of the earth."  
  
"How can someone as small as that, especially a girl, fight?" he wondered aloud,  
receiving a slam of verbal defiance from Usagi.  
  
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fight!" she spoke vehemently. "I'll  
show you how well I can fight!" She stomped outside, followed by Gohan and a dazed  
Bulma carrying baby Trunks.  
  
'Now we'll see who can fight,' she thought angrily once they were safely outside.   
She grasped the brooch on her blouse, yelling, "Moon crisis, make-up!"  
  
In a blinding flash, Usagi started twirling around as ribbons of color danced around  
and molded perfectly to her body. As the light began to fade, there she stood in her  
fuku, brandishing her kaleidoscope moon rod.  
  
Gohan and Bulma stood off to the side, both of their mouths hanging open.  
  
"What- what was that?" Bulma stuttered.  
  
"My transformation to Sailor Moon," she answered matter-of-factly. "And now I'll  
show you how I fight!"  
  
She took her tiara off of her forehead, the cool gold glinting against her fingers.   
"Moon Tiara Action!" she called, hurling the tiara at Gohan like a frisbee.  
  
Gohan easily caught it. He stared down at the golden half-circlet in his hand,  
puzzled.  
  
"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon cried as Gohan was distracted, aiming  
her moon rod at him. He was engulfed in a bright red flash, sending up clouds of dust.  
  
She stood triumphantly, feeling she had more than proven herself.  
  
When the dust began to clear, however...  
  
"It didn't hurt him?" Her eyes, wide with shock, remained on Gohan, who had his  
arms out in front of him to block her attack.  
  
"You fight with magic?" he laughed. "I'm afraid that won't help here much, unless  
you've got a more powerful move. Here, I'll show you."  
  
"Gohan," Bulma started.  
  
But Gohan was already powering up. He lowered his hands to his right side,  
focusing on his attack. "Kameha..."  
  
"Iie, Gohan," Bulma tried to stop him, for she knew the damage his attack could  
cause.  
  
"Meha!" he finished with a yell as a ball of energy rocketed across the distance in  
Sailor Moon's direction.  
  
"Gohan!" Bulma shrieked! "Usagi!"  
  
Sailor Moon froze. All she could see was the energy ball flying closer and closer  
toward her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard a voice telling her to stand  
up and fight for everyone.  
  
"'Fight, of course,' she thought absently. As Gohan's attack covered the last few  
feet to her, she screamed.  
  
Bulma watched in horror as the energy ball blew up, with Usagi right in the middle  
of it. "Gohan, what have you done!" she screamed. Baby Trunks, who could sense his  
mother's distress, began to cry.  
  
Only Gohan remained calm. He never took his eyes off of the blast. 'Come on,' he  
thought impatiently.  
  
He was not disappointed.  
  
Through the dust he could make out the silhouette of a person, surrounded by a  
faint silver glow. Sailor Moon stood in the middle, breathing heavily, scratched from  
head to toe.  
  
"Wha- how?" Bulma questioned unbelievingly.  
  
"I could sense strong power from her," Gohan answered simply. "I knew she would  
be able to stop it."  
  
"I... stopped..." Sailor Moon wheezed, her voice cracking. The silver light around  
her faded as she crumpled to the ground, detransforming back into Usagi.  
  
"Usagi!" Bulma rushed over to the unconscious girl.  
  
"She'll be fine; she just needs rest."  
  
  
Trunks watched as Gohan scooped up Usagi and took her back into the house.   
He was seething. How could he attack her like that? She was obviously weaker than  
he. He must have lost his mind!  
  
Demo... She had survived the attack. A normal person would have been killed on  
impact.  
  
Then he flashed back to the week before, when he had been training in the  
woods...  
  
  
********  
'Just ten more, then I'll retire for the night.' Trunks began a procession of stances,  
kicks and punches.  
  
He had been working for a good twenty minutes when a piercing scream shattered  
the silence.  
  
He stopped, his senses flaring. He focused, sensing energy somewhere off to his  
left. Deciding to proceed cautiously, he lowered himself to the ground to investigate on foot.  
  
It didn't take long for Trunks to find the course of the noise: a young woman lying on the ground, barely breathing. He knelt down beside her, taking her wrist and feeling a thready pulse.  
  
She appeared to be severely wounded. Her clothes were torn and bloody, the  
result of gashes in her arms and across her stomach.  
  
He hovered over her worriedly, silently willing her to wake up.  
  
She coughed, her entire body wracked in spasms. She started to mumble  
something incoherently.  
  
Trunks, unable to hear, leaned down so that he could make out her words.  
  
"Must... save..." she whispered before passing out once again.  
  
He gently slipped his arms around her tiny frame and picked her up. 'I have to get  
her help, whoever she is.'  
  
Her words still nagged at his mind. Who must she save?  
********  
  
  
'How could she have survived Gohan's attack? She is obviously a fighter herself,  
but her attack didn't even faze him! And where was that silver light coming from?   
When it had first surrounded her, I felt its ki merge with hers.'  
  
Trunks was startled out of his thoughts when Gohan exited the house. He flew  
down, confronting Gohan angrily.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking!" he yelled. "You could have killed her!"  
  
"You stuck around to watch?" Gohan asked, an amused smile forming on his lips.  
  
"I just happened to be nearby and see you almost kill Usagi!"  
  
"As you saw, she didn't die."  
  
"Well, she very well might have! She doesn't have the same fighting skills we do!"  
  
"_She_ has more power than you and I ever imagined a mortal could have!" Gohan  
countered, stopping Trunks' ranting.  
  
"What do you mean?" Trunks finally asked.  
  
"You didn't sense it? That silver glow, wherever it came from, is Usagi's life force.   
She used it to repel my attack. I can assure you right now that we haven't seen even a fraction of the power she possesses."  
  
"Demo- demo- she's a mortal!" Trunks sputtered. "And a girl! And we don't know a thing about her! What if she is an enemy?"  
  
"Then we'll deal with it. Why are you so bent that she's evil and inferior?"  
  
"I'm... not sure. There's just something about her that I don't exactly trust, and I  
don't know why," Trunks struggled to explain. "It may be instinct, or it may be that I  
feel this way because I don't trust many people. Either way, we need to keep our eyes on her."  
  
"I agree." Gohan turned away. "Tomorrow I'm gong to introduce her to my dad. Ja  
ne!"  
  
Before Trunks could react, Gohan flew off at high speed.  
  
Trunks just stared after him, sighing. If everyone else was taking a liking to Usagi,  
then he would just have to remain on guard and watch her himself.  
  
  
  
  



	2. Meeting the famous Saiyajin prince

I know, it's been a while since I posted. I've tried so hard to get this next part out! Try not to kill me too much for all the delay. Because I am manipulating everyone to my fancy, I have decided to alter Gohan's age to suit my story. I know there's a huge age gap between him and Trunks (about 11 years, I believe). But in my fic, there is only a 4 year age difference. I dunno, I just like it better that way. Anyone that has a problem with that can, um... Complain?  
  
Anyway, arigato to everyone who reviewed part one. I love all you guys! You keep me writing! I just wish I had more time to write. Hopefully I'll get the next part out sooner. And I still don't have a title, but I'm working on it. ^*^  
  
  
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine....  
  
  
The next day, Usagi was feeling somewhat stronger from her much-needed rest.   
She had just been informed that she would be meeting Gohan's dad, so she waited  
patiently for Gohan to come pick her up.  
  
Trunks, playing the part of guard, told her that he would accompany them. She  
only rolled her eyes to his statement, which made him all the more annoyed.  
  
Not long after, Gohan arrived. "My dad is eager to meet you," he told Usagi. "We  
better go." He was about to take off when Usagi grabbed his arm.  
  
"You're forgetting one thing..." she said.  
  
Gohan stared at her questioningly.  
  
"I can't fly!"  
  
"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Gohan scratched his head as he thought. "Well,  
that's not a problem. I can carry you."  
  
Usagi stared at him skeptically. "I don't know about this..."  
  
"Don't worry so much!" With one swift movement, Gohan picked up Usagi into his  
arms and took off, Trunks not far behind.  
  
Usagi, despite the fact of being a thousand feet off the ground with only Gohan's  
arms to keep her safe, was thoroughly enjoying flying.  
  
Upon arriving at the Son house, Usagi was almost disappointed when they landed.   
But she still found that trace of reassurance once her feet touched solid ground again.  
  
"Come on; he's waiting." Gohan grabbed a hesitant Usagi's hand and led her into  
the house, calling, "Otou-san, we're here!"  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu!" a man greeted as he entered the room. Without a doubt, this  
was Gohan's father.  
  
The unkempt black hair that spiked around his head like a jagged halo and the  
same midnight black eyes that peered at her curiously were the same traits he had  
passed down to his son.  
  
Usagi glanced at him, then at Gohan, then back at him. "Nice to meet you, um..."  
  
"Son Goku," the man offered, shaking her hand with a grip that practically crushed  
her fingers.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi," she returned.  
  
"Otou-san, where is Kaa-san?" Gohan questioned his father.  
  
"She's-"  
  
"Goku!" a scream erupted from another room, echoing throughout the house.   
"Right there," Goku finished with a sheepish grin.  
  
A woman stormed into the room, fuming. "Goku, what did you do-- Oh," she  
stopped as she took notice of their guest. "Gohan, are you going to introduce me to  
your friend?" she asked expectantly.  
  
"Hai. Usagi, this is my mother. Kaa-san, this is Usagi. She's from... Actually, I  
don't know where you're from." Gohan turned to her.  
  
Usagi didn't know how to answer Gohan. She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't  
remember," she murmured sadly.  
  
"It's all right, Usagi," Goku gave her a reassuring smile. "Your memories will come  
back in time. Chichi, would you mind if Gohan, Trunks, and I took Usagi around town?"  
he asked his wife.  
  
"Nani? Trunks, is that you hiding in the doorway?" Chichi called to him. "Stop  
being so antisocial!"  
  
"Don't mind him; he's the quiet one," Trunks overheard Chichi telling Usagi as he  
approached.  
  
As Chichi questioned him about how his family was doing, Usagi tuned out the  
conversation. Besides being sore from yesterday, she was still extremely tired from  
trying to remember anything about how she got to this place.  
  
"So how about it?"  
  
Usagi blinked, focusing back on the group. "Nani?"  
  
"A trip around town," Gohan repeated.  
  
"Hai, sounds like fun," she answered, happy to have an activity that wouldn't  
exhaust her to the brink of passing out.  
  
"See you later, Kaa-san!" Gohan kissed his mother on the cheek.   
  
"We'll be back in time for dinner," Goku added.  
  
"Ja ne, Chichi!" Trunks said as they headed outside.  
  
"Sayonara, Chichi. It was nice meeting you!" Usagi told her before slamming the  
door behind her.  
  
Once Chichi was out of earshot, Usagi found that their plans had changed.  
  
"I want to head over right away," Goku was telling Gohan, "so we can know more."  
  
"More about what?" Usagi questioned as she joined them.  
  
"We want to take you back to Capsule Corps and let Bulma monitor your stats and  
possibly find out where that weird silver light came from."  
  
"More work?" Usagi's heart sank. She wanted nothing more than to relax. After  
what she had been through, wasn't it the least they could do for her? "Iie."  
  
"Nani?" all three of them stared at her in surprise.  
  
"Iie," she stated firmly, crossing her arms in front of her. "I am tired. I showed you  
that I can fight. I may not be ad strong as any of you, but I can hold my own if need  
be. I just want to take it easy for a couple of days. I'm not giving in," she continued  
when Gohan was about to protest, "and that's final."  
  
Trunks regarded her wearily. Just when they were about to find out more about  
her, she made their plans come to a screeching halt. As much as he didn't want to  
admit it, though, he agreed that she needed more time to recuperate. "She has a  
point," he spoke up. "We wouldn't get accurate information if she kept fainting."  
  
"Why Trunks, it almost sounds like you care," Usagi mocked.  
  
"I just don't like wasting my time."  
  
Usagi smiled wryly. "Iie, of course not. So how about it, guys?" she turned to the  
group. "We return to Capsule Corps and just take it easy the rest of the day."  
  
"It's not like we have a choice," Goku grinned in defeat, receiving a shake of the  
head from Usagi. "You know, Usagi, you remind me so much of Bulma. She has a  
stubborn streak a mile long, too!"  
  
Usagi laughed along with the others. She noticed that Trunks was neither smiling  
nor laughing. He was looking the other way, a slight frown on his face.  
  
'I'll win you over yet, Trunks,' she decided, determined. 'You can bet on it.'  
  
  
By the time they reached Capsule Corps, Usagi was used to the flying. She  
jumped out of Gohan's arms when they landed. She still felt like she were up in the air.   
Tripping over her own foot, she flew forward and would have fallen had Trunks not been  
there to grab her arm and steady her.  
  
"Arigato," she thanked him as he released her arm. He just continued walking.   
She hurried to catch up with his long stride, struggling to keep up. Goku and Gohan  
were not far behind.  
  
The first thing they heard when entering the house was loud crashed, followed by  
muffled shouting. They ran in the direction of the sound, stopping in the doorway of the  
kitchen.  
  
Bulma stood on a folding chair, taking dished out of a cabinet and hurling them as  
a man Usagi had yet to meet.  
  
The man, his jet black hair protruding up and spiking to a point at the top, stifled a  
yawn with one hand while he used his other hand to make the dishes fly away from him  
and shatter against the wall.  
  
"Why don't you fight like a man!" Bulma screamed, a glass in each hand, ready to  
throw. "Isn't that what you Saiya-jins do best?"  
  
"Do not use my race's name in vain, woman!" he bellowed, his black eyes turning  
even darker.  
  
"My apologies, oh great prince," she answered sarcastically, throwing both glasses  
at him.  
  
Usagi was strangely fascinated by this scene. That man... He certainly was like  
no one she knew. Then again, she couldn't remember who she used to know, so there  
was really no comparison.  
  
She glanced at the others, surprised to see that they held no concern.  
  
"Not again, Vegeta..." Trunks muttered, sighing in exasperation. The look in his  
eyes told Usagi he wanted to do something, yet he didn't move.  
  
Goku and Gohan just watched in amusement, apparently used to seeing this  
scene of destruction.  
  
Usagi could no longer not interfere. She stepped into the kitchen, screaming,  
"Stop fighting!"  
  
Bulma, startled by the interruption, dropped the glass she had been holding. She  
jumped as it shattered in the silence.  
  
Vegeta surveyed the mess of broken dishes covering the floor. "You have quite a  
mess to clean up," he smirked at Bulma.  
  
Before she could rebuke, Usagi stepped up to him. "Who the hell are you to tell  
her what to do? From the looks of it, half of this mess, if not all, is your doing."  
  
"You obviously don't know who you are speaking to, girl, so let me inform you. I  
am Vegeta, the crowned prince of the planet Vegeta, the strongest warrior in the  
world."  
  
"Big deal," Usagi shrugged. "I'm a moon princess, but I don't go around informing  
people of my title. And what kind of warrior are you to fight a woman?" she continued  
heatedly. "Are you so mighty that you beat all of the mean and now moved on to poor  
Bulma?"  
  
"Girl, I can do whatever the hell I please," Vegeta growled. "That includes taking  
you on, if you're looking for a fight."  
  
"Let's go then," she challenged.  
  
"Iie! There will be no fighting!" Trunks pushed between them, glaring first at Usagi  
and then at Vegeta.  
  
"Do not interfere, boy," Vegeta warned.  
  
"No fighting," Trunks repeated, holding Vegeta's menacing gaze.  
  
"Never tell me what to do!" Vegeta shoved Trunks, sending Trunks stumbling back  
into Usagi and knocking her to the ground.  
  
"We will fight eventually, girl," he addressed Usagi before leaving the room.  
  
Trunks sighed, turning to Usagi and taking her hand to help her up.  
  
"Oh kami," Bulma breathed. "Trunks, be happy that you didn't inherit your father's  
personality."  
  
Usagi's eyes widened. Vegeta was Trunks' father? She searched his face for any  
resemblance between the two. They had the same bone structure, the same stubborn,  
strong chin. But their eyes were different. While Vegeta's stared daggers, Trunks' had  
a depth that both frightened and intrigued her.  
  
Noticing her stares, Trunks averted his gaze. He pulled her up. "So now you've  
met the other part of me," he mumbled.  
  
Bulma, sensing her son's weariness, changed the subject. "So, what brings you  
guys back here so soon?"  
  
"Usagi was tired, so we decided to take it easy today," Goku explained.  
  
"That's actually not a bad idea," she agreed. "Poor Usagi has had a rough couple  
of days."  
  
"I second that motion," Usagi put in. "I just need some time to rest."  
  
And rest she did. While the guys engaged in a sparring match outside, Bulma and  
Usagi sat on the patio talking.  
  
"I really love it here," Usagi was saying. "I don't know why, but it feels like it could  
be home."  
  
"Well, you can think of it as your home until you return to yours," Bulma offered. "I  
wouldn't mind an addition to the family. My dad is always working, my mother... Well,  
my mother is not always the most interesting company. Vegeta trains most of the  
time, and Trunks... He's the only one that really brightens up my day. Both of them  
do."  
  
"Speaking of baby Trunks, where is he?"  
  
"Oh, he's taking a nap. My mother is up there watching him. She has nothing  
better to do, I suppose."  
  
"I can think of worse things than watching a beautiful baby sleep." Usagi was  
suddenly clouded with a memory she could quite make out. There was a little baby  
lying in her crib, her arms outstretched to Usagi.  
  
As suddenly as the vision appeared it was gone. Usagi shut her eyes tightly.   
"Why can't I remember anything!" she cried, covering her face with her hands.  
  
"They'll come back eventually," Bulma told her, squeezing her shoulder gently.  
  
"I'm really tired... I think I need to lie down. Maybe my headache will go away."  
  
"That's a good idea. It will probably help. I'll come check on you later."  
  
"Arigato, Bulma." And with that, Usagi shakily stood up and went inside, her legs  
barely carrying her to her room. She collapsed on the bed, instantly falling asleep.  
  
  
"I'm going to get a drink," Trunks called to Goku and Gohan as he headed back  
toward the house.  
  
"Hey Trunks," Bulma called him over.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Can you please check on Usagi and see how she's doing? She wasn't feeling that  
great and went to lie down an hour ago."  
  
"Hai, I'll go check on her." Trunks stepped into the house. 'Why is it always me  
there to help her?' he wondered as he made his way to the guest bedroom.  
  
The door was ajar. He poked his head in. Usagi was on the bed, tossing around.   
She was drenched with sweat, her face red from shed tears.  
  
He took a step closer to her, unsure if he should wake her or not.  
  
Suddenly she bolted upright, fully awake. Fear and sadness shone in her eyes as  
they pooled with tears.  
  
"Usagi, daijobu?" Trunks asked hesitantly, making his way over to her. He sat  
down beside her on the bed.  
  
She stared at him with tear-filled eyes before falling into his arms, burying her head  
in the crook of his neck. She sobbed quietly.  
  
"It's all right," he stroked her hair awkwardly, trying to comfort the crying girl. "I'm  
here now. You're safe." He pulled her to him, rocking back and forth.  
  
'What are your demons, Usagi?' he wondered. 'What is so horrible that haunts your  
dreams? And how does that tie in with how you got here?'  
  
  
  
Why _is_ Trunks always the one there to help? Why does Usagi keep having these horrible dreams? You'll just have to wait for the next part to see!


	3. The training begins

Gomen ne to everyone who has been impatiently waiting for this chapter. After a few people started pushing me along, I got more and more written until I finally had a good enough chunk for another chapter. So enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Bulma grew worried when Trunks never came back outside. She tiptoed up to the  
guestroom, afraid that something had happened to them.  
  
When she looked in, however, she found Trunks holding a shivering Usagi.  
  
Trunks sensed her presence. He looked up, motioning with a nod that they were  
all right. Then he turned his gaze back on Usagi, who was clutching his shirt like she  
was afraid he would disappear.  
  
Her tiny body trembled uncontrollably. No matter how much she tried to bury  
herself into Trunks' arms, she couldn't stop the fear from bubbling up in her veins and  
racing to her brain like a lethal shot from a bullet aimed specially at her.  
  
Trunks only pulled her closer to him, his arms acting as a protective shell around  
her. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had to keep her safe, and that scared him.   
All of his life, he'd learned to be extremely cautious, especially around people he  
didn't know. Although looking at her, seeing her so frightened, just tugged at his heart,  
another part of him couldn't help but wonder if she were the enemy.  
  
As if reading his thoughts, Usagi turned her eyes up at him, her sobs subsiding.   
"Trunks," she started.  
  
"Shhh," he hushed her. "There's nothing to worry-"  
  
"Trunks, please let me speak," she cut him off. "I know you may not trust me or  
believe this, but I really appreciate you helping me out and trying to make me feel  
better."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It was you who found me in the forest that day, wasn't it?" she looked him square  
in the eye.  
  
Every time she told him something, she seemed to surprise him even more. "Why  
would you assume that?" he asked cautiously, suspiciously.  
  
"This is the way I felt when I was picked up from the forest floor."  
  
"But you were unconscious," he pointed out. "How did you know?"  
  
"I'm not sure, exactly. I remember feeling warm and safe, like nothing could ever  
hurt me. Much like I feel now."  
  
Trunks stared down into her azure eyes, mesmerized by their endless depths. He  
felt his heartbeat start to speed up, wondering if she could also hear it like he heard it  
pounding in his own ears. He shook his head, trying to erase his thoughts. Every  
glance back at her make it more and more difficult not to trust her.  
  
"You're right," he confessed, "I was the one that found you."  
  
"Mmm..." Usagi snuggled up against him. "I already knew that..."  
  
"Usagi?"  
  
"Hmm?" she murmured, her eyes once again on his.  
  
"I'll protect you," he whispered thickly. "From everything."  
  
"I know you will."  
  
And then the distance between them closed in. Just as their lips were about to  
meet, a knock sounded at the door.  
  
"Trunks, is Usagi all right?" Bulma's question was muffled through the door.  
  
"Hai, Kaa-san." He pulled away, a wave of frustration washing over him. His  
mother had the worst timing! Well, perhaps it was better that they were interrupted.  
  
Bulma peeked in at them. "You look like you're feeling much better," she observed  
Usagi sitting comfortably in Trunks' arms.  
  
"Hai, I just needed some rest," she smiled.  
  
"Good to hear," Bulma exhaled loudly. "Well, if you're up to it, Goku and Gohan  
wanted to talk to you before they went home." She closed the door behind her.  
  
"More talking?" Usagi sighed, once again her exhaustion hitting her. "Do I really  
have to go down there?"  
  
"I have the feeling that they won't go away until we do."  
  
"Well then, I guess we'd better go."  
  
Trunks led Usagi back down to the living room, where Gohan and Goku were sitting  
on the couch, holding a conversation quietly between themselves.  
  
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Usagi asked as she plopped down in the  
armchair next to the couch, startling them. From the looks on their faces, it was  
obvious that they had been discussing something rather important. "I'm sorry for  
leaving earlier. I was apparently more tired than I had realized."  
  
"It's no problem. We understand," Goku reassured the blonde girl with a slight  
smile. "But what we wanted to--"  
  
"I'm so happy you don't think I'm rude," Usagi sighed, leaning back into the chair.   
The last thing she wanted was to appear antisocial, especially to family friends.  
  
"Well, Usagi, although this small talk is nice, we actually do have another reason  
for wanting to see you," Goku spoke up, spiking Usagi's curiosity.  
  
"We want to train you!" Gohan blurted out.  
  
"Really, Gohan, do you think you could have let me ease into it?" Goku gave his  
son an exasperated look. "Anyway," he continued, "we want to train you in our way of  
fighting. Since you already have a background, it wouldn't be as difficult as teaching  
you from scratch."  
  
"Why waste your time? She'll never be able to fight," a low voice snaked into the  
conversation.  
  
"What's the matter, Vegeta-sama?" Usagi taunted as she stood, making her way  
over to where the man loitered in the doorway. "Are you afraid I'll grow stronger and  
prove to be competition?"  
  
"Hardly!" he scoffed, left eye twitching in what could have been considered  
amusement. "You're human. And if that weren't bad enough, you're a woman."  
  
"Which will make my victory all the more sweet."  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Dream all you want, girl. But don't be surprised when I  
pound you into dust."  
  
Bulma grew alarmed. "Matte... You're going to fight?"  
  
"Not now," Usagi explained. "Once I grow stronger."  
  
"Although it won't make a difference," Vegeta's trademark smirk crept up onto his  
face.  
  
"But you could kill her!" Bulma protested.  
  
"I know," he brushed her off, turning to Usagi. "Just so I don't waste my time in a  
one-sided battle, I'm going to also train you."  
  
While everyone gaped at him, Usagi retorted, "Don't do me any favors."  
  
"What favor? I've fought these weaklings, along with their weakling friends. I need  
a new victory." With those words, Vegeta strode out of the room.  
  
Bulma rushed over to Usagi. "You're not seriously going to let him train you to  
fight," she shook the girl's shoulders.  
  
Usagi shrugged. "Might as well. "Hey, a girl's gotta have a little fun. Besides,  
how hard could it be?"  
  
  
Usagi was regretting her words when she was woken up at four the next morning.  
  
Several hours later, in pain and barely able to move, Usagi faced the men who had  
been torturing her through her first training session.  
  
Goku showed her how to control her power, as well as some blocks and stances.   
Gohan gave her a rather detailed lesson on the many kicks and punches that Piccolo  
and his dad had taught him. Trunks helped out when needed, but mostly he observed  
from the sidelines and gave pointers on how Usagi could sharpen her movements.   
Vegeta had yet to show up, which relieved Usagi to no end. If he wasn't there, then  
she would be spared the excess pain. For now...  
  
"There's one more thing we'll touch on today," Goku was saying.  
  
"One more?" Usagi groaned, rising from her sitting position, a task that took all of  
her willpower.  
  
"That's right," Trunks stepped up, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I'm going to  
give you your first flying lesson."  
  
Usagi's eyes bugged out. "Fly?" she croaked, sinking back to the ground.  
  
"Iie, no time for rest." Trunks pulled her to her feet again. "In a few minutes you  
won't even be touching the ground."  
  
Before she could protest, Trunks lifted her and flew off into the sky.  
  
Usagi, too tired and scared to pay attention to the beautiful land they were sailing  
over, only squeezed her eyes shut and grasped tightly onto Trunks' shirt.  
  
Even when they landed, she didn't want to let go.  
  
Trunks gently uncurled her fingers from his shirt, setting her back down on the  
ground.  
  
Peeking out of one eye, Usagi found them standing on the edge of a VERY high  
cliff. "Iie!" she cried, trying to back away.  
  
Trunks caught hold off her arm, pulling her back to the edge. "There's no getting  
away, Usagi. Your only escape is straight down."  
  
Realization sunk in that she was actually going to have to learn how to fly. Either  
that or die trying, which she would most likely do. Taking a deep breath, she said, "All  
right. Let's do this."  
  
"Good, you finally see things my way. The first thing you need to do is trust  
yourself. If you believe you can fly, then you can."  
  
"Don't you need special dust or something?"  
  
"What do you think we are, fairies?" he returned incredulously. "Iie, you have to  
work at it. Which brings me to my second point: flying doesn't come naturally to you,  
so you're really going to have to concentrate. If not..." He simply shrugged, leaving  
Usagi's imagination to run wild.  
  
"In other words, fly or die," she said slowly, almost believing that her ultimatum  
was a hoax. Almost.  
  
"That's right. Dare to give it a try? As soon as you get out there, you'll know what  
to do."  
  
"Do I have a choice?"  
  
He thought about it for a second. "Iie, not really." He gently tugged her hand until  
she was looking straight down the cliff's side. "Are you ready?" he asked softly.  
  
"Hai," she lied, nervous fear coursing through her blood. She looked over at him  
for reassurance. "I just jump off and... fly?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"And if I don't, I..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Try not to think about the long way down. It'll only make you nervous."  
  
'Too late...' Taking a deep breath, Usagi gave Trunks one last brave smile before  
she stepped off the cliff... and dropped.  
  
She fell in what felt like slow motion. She could make out every square inch of the  
cliff's steep, jagged side on the way down.  
  
'Just stay calm,' she told herself. 'Just fly.'  
  
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even will herself to slow down. As  
the ground approached at a rapid speed, she just closed her eyes and embraced the  
fall.  
  
Right before her tiny body shattered on the ground, a pair of strong arms roughly  
caught her.  
  
Usagi trembled slightly. "Trunks..."  
  
"Guess again," an overconfident growl reached her ears, and her eyes flew open.  
  
"Vegeta," she managed to squeak out, staring up at him with a mixture of relief,  
confusion, and fear. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Watching you plummet," he sneered, eyes flashing. "Good thing I was here,  
since Trunks was going to let you crash."  
  
"I was not!" Trunks retorted, obviously angry, as he landed beside them. "I was  
going to catch her."  
  
"You were going to watch her die because you wouldn't have reached her in time."  
  
"I would never let her get hurt!"  
  
Vegeta set the blonde on her feet, crossing his arms across his chest. "Weren't  
you the one who made her jump in the first place?"  
  
Trunks' anger boiled over. His face glowed red, his fists balled with rage. "I knew  
what I was doing!" he yelled at his father vehemently.  
  
"Which was help her right off the cliff." Vegeta yawned. "As much as I love proving  
your theories wrong, we have training to do." He picked up Usagi and flew off with a  
speed even Trunks couldn't match.  
  
He watched them grow smaller in the sky, finally disappearing altogether. "Kuso,"  
he muttered. "Kuso!"  
  
  
After flying for a while, Usagi gave up trying to converse with the stubborn Saiya-jin.   
He didn't talk; and when he responded, all she got was a neutral grunt.  
  
Exasperated by his attitude and drained by her brush with death, Usagi just settled  
in Vegeta's arms, letting the faint hum of the wind and the tiny tendrils of hair blowing  
across her cheeks relax her.  
  
When they landed abruptly, she found herself in the middle of a huge clearing in  
the forest that felt vaguely familiar to her.  
  
"Recognize this place?" Vegeta finally spoke, startling her. "If my calculations are  
correct, and they always are, then this is where Trunks found you."  
  
"I knew it!" she cried. "I knew I felt something."  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "You sensed it?"  
  
"Hai. I don't know how I remember, but I do."  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"Nani?" she blinked, thrown by his sudden outburst of hostility. "What do you  
mean, who am I?"  
  
"Just that. You said your name is Usagi, which could or could not be true. You  
conveniently don't remember a damn thing, including where you came from and how  
you got here. You've got mysterious powers. As far as I'm concerned, you could be  
the enemy."  
  
Usagi stopped, her mouth agape. Did he really believe that she was evil, that she  
was plotting against them? Did the others feel the same way?  
  
She pushed away from him, angry tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Vegeta grabbed her wrist, his strong hold digging into her skin. "Where the hell do  
you think you're going?"  
  
"Away. If I'm gone, you won't have to be concerned with me one way or the other."   
She broke free of his grasp, taking off in the opposite direction as fast as her legs  
could carry her.  
  
"Matte!" Vegeta roared, forming a ball of energy and blasting it at Usagi.  
  
She turned, her eyes flashing a vacant blue momentarily. As the blast  
approached, a silver light engulfed Usagi and repelled the attack, sending it hurtling  
into the sky in an eruption of red fire.  
  
The silver light faded, Usagi fled into the trees, leaving behind a very mystified and  
very angry Vegeta.  
  
  
Trunks had been flying around for the past twenty minutes in search of his father  
and Usagi when he felt his father's ki rise out of the blue. A second after, he sensed  
another burst of energy, resembling the one that had surrounded Usagi before. And  
then a streak of fire lit up across the sky...  
  
He sped up, steering in the direction of where he thought the two ki were coming  
from.  
  
  
Not long after entering the Black Forest, an ear-shattering scream erupted.  
  
Wasting no time to caution, Trunks maneuvered through the trees until he reached  
the clearing where he had found Usagi the first time.  
  
But this time the clearing was empty, and Trunks was confused. Why would  
Vegeta bring her here? And where the hell was the fiery-tempered Saiya-jin, anyway?  
  
Focusing all of his being into finding any trace of Usagi's ki, Trunks was greeted  
with a very faint sense of where she was.  
  
'Hold on, Usagi,' he pleaded silently as he landed and sprinted through the trees.  
  
And there she was, not far from the clearing. She lay on the ground, her chest  
barely rising with each breath.  
  
Trunks hurried over to her, gasping. Her normally rosy cheeks were deathly pale,  
a huge contrast to the growing crimson stain on her stomach.  
  
"Oh kami... You need help!" He lifted the limp girl delicately, cradling her in his  
arms before taking off above the trees at a speed that defied light itself.  
  
'Don't worry, Usagi, I won't let you die,' he promised her, his heart twisting in pain  
for the girl. 'You can't leave us... You can't leave me...'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hahaha! How's that for an ending? Was it too mean? Well, I try. Arigato to everyone who made it this far. Please review. I absolutely love hearing what you guys have to say. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! 


	4. Growing closer

I know, it has been over two months since I posted the last chapter. I apologize to everyone for not writing, but I've been so busy with work and other things that I really had no time to write. But I'm getting back on track! So here you go, chapter 4!  
  
  
  
Waiting impatiently as another hour passed, Trunks growled in frustration. His  
mother had been working on Usagi for two hours now, and he had yet to receive an  
update.  
  
Exactly what had caused the deep gash in Usagi's stomach? At first glance, the  
wound almost looked like claw marks. But what sort of creature would do something  
as horrible as attack an innocent human being?  
  
"I can't take this not knowing!" he exclaimed as he stood up, the urge to strangle  
someone creeping over him.  
  
"Calm down, Trunks; Bulma will bring us news soon enough," Goku reassured him,  
his eyebrows knitted with worry betraying his hopeful eyes.  
  
"I guess you're right." Trunks slumped into his seat once more, staring at all of the  
solemn expressions. Except one was missing... Where did his father go? The last  
time he was seen was flying off with Usagi. Both of their ki rose, Usagi was hurt, and  
Vegeta disappeared.  
  
All evidence pointed at Vegeta attacking her. It was his nature, but Trunks doubted  
that he would have actually hurt her. Then again, what was he supposed to think since  
no other suspect had presented himself?  
  
"She's stable."  
  
The words reverberated through Trunks' mind as his mother stepped into the room,  
informing the group that Usagi was safe.  
  
He immediately jumped over to Bulma. "Can I see her?" he asked anxiously, his  
crystalline eyes pleading.  
  
"Very briefly. She is still very weak from the blood loss, and she needs her rest."  
  
"Arigato." Pushing the door open, his heart sank at the sight of the girl.  
Her skin was ten shades of pale, almost the color of the white sheet that covered  
her. Her hair had been let down, hanging limply in cascades around her.  
  
Trunks approached the bed carefully, his eyes never leaving her face. He dragged  
a chair over to her, taking a seat. As he took her hand, her eyes slowly opened.  
  
A tired smile appeared on her lips. "Trunks," she whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Hai, it's me," he murmured, trying not to let the worry catch in his voice. Her  
eyes, normally an exquisite shade of sapphire, were a dull metallic blue-gray. The  
sparkle they possessed was now absent.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
"As good as-" her words were trampled by a coughing fit.  
  
Trunks immediately grabbed a glass of water off of the table and brought it to her  
lips, helping her force the cool liquid down.  
  
"Arigato," she rasped once the coughing fit passed. She leaned back, moaning  
softly as the bandages on her stomach moved.  
  
"Are you in much pain?" he asked quickly.  
  
"Only when I'm awake," she joked, a spark flickering in her eyes.  
  
"Usagi..."  
  
She looked up at him, unsure if he had actually said her name or if she had only  
wished it so.  
  
"What happened?" The question, simple enough, was laced with- what, Usagi  
couldn't tell. "Did... did my father do this to you?" His thought came out finally,  
hanging in the air with a stark reminder of the weight of the expected answer.  
  
"Vegeta-san?" He had caught her off guard. She wrinkled her nose. "How could  
you ask me that? Of course he didn't do this to me!"  
  
"He didn't?" Trunks sank back in the chair, releasing the breath he had been  
holding. "Matte... If Vegeta didn't do this to you, then who did?"  
  
A puzzled frown appeared on Usagi's face. She thought a moment, finally  
answering. "It was so strange... It was as if the sky opened up and something  
attacked me. I can't explain it."  
  
The gears in Trunks' brain turned furiously as he tried to process the new  
information. So Vegeta was not the cause of this, which relieved him. But that also  
left an unknown enemy around, one on who they had no information.  
  
"Can you tell me exactly what happened? Maybe we can figure out who did this."  
  
"I'll try... Right after I blocked Vegeta's blast-"  
  
"He shot you?" he interrupted, his anger rising.  
  
"It wasn't a big deal," Usagi assured him. "I knocked it away. But then I ran into  
the woods. It was really dark, and I felt like I was walking in circles. Then, out of  
nowhere, light started pouring in through the trees. Before I could even react,  
something flew down at me. I didn't realize I had even been hurt until after it  
disappeared. And then I screamed."  
  
"That must have been right before I found you," he spoke aloud, more to himself  
than to her.  
  
"Hai. Bulma told me that if I were found and brought to her even a minute later, I  
might have died. She turned her gaze down. "A-arigato, Trunks-san. You saved my  
life."  
  
He swallowed thickly, repeating her words in his head. 'I might have died...' He  
shook his head. Iie, she would live. "I was so worried," he admitted reluctantly,  
carefully enveloping her hand in his own.  
  
She looked up at him in surprise. "Does that mean you don't think I'm the  
enemy?" she asked innocently.  
  
He chuckled under his breath. "Iie, I don't think you are the enemy. My father,  
however, might need some convincing."  
  
"Although he won't admit to it, he believe me." Trying not to laugh at Trunks'  
dumbstruck expression, she continued. "After I had collapsed, I saw Vegeta hovering  
over me. Then he chased after the light, trying to take down whoever had attacked me.   
As to what happened after, I'm not sure. I blacked out."  
  
'Vegeta... actually tried to help? And he was so adamant about not trusting her.' It  
relieved Trunks to no end to learn that his father had not been the source of Usagi's  
pain.  
  
"I have to go," he said suddenly. "I have to find Vegeta."  
  
"I understand." When he moved to leave, she pulled him back with a tug on the  
wrist, using a surprising deal of strength in her fragile state. "Arigato," she whispered.  
  
He leaned over her, gently kissing the smooth, cool skin of her forehead. "Just rest  
and be better. I'll stop in later."  
  
When Usagi looked up he was gone.  
  
  
Trunks slipped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He marched  
past the others without giving them so much as a glance.  
  
"Trunks, where are you going?" Gohan called to him.  
  
"To find Vegeta," Trunks answered as he left the room. A second later they heard  
the front door slam.  
  
'Trunks, please be careful,' Bulma pleaded silently.  
  
  
But the search for Vegeta proved unsuccessful. Trunks had spent all day  
searching, only to find no clue as to his father's whereabouts.  
  
He returned home well after midnight, blinking sleepily. All he needed was a few  
hours of rest so he could resume his searching in the morning.  
  
Trudging into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Usagi sitting at the table in the  
dark. He snapped on the light, making the tiny blonde jump.  
  
"Gomen ne," he apologized.  
  
"Trunks-san, what are you doing up?" she questioned as he sat down across from  
her.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing."  
  
"Have you ever had to just stare at a wall for hours on end? I was bored! I decided  
to get some exercise."  
  
"You didn't get very far."  
  
"I know." She sighed. "I must have overestimated how I was feeling because I got  
tired just walking down the hallway."  
  
"That should tell you something. You're too weak to be up and around," he pointed  
out.  
  
"Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit exhausted..."  
  
"Back to bed you go." He stood, pulling her up to her feet. "Here, lean on me," he  
offered.  
  
With Trunks' help, Usagi made it back to her bedroom and into bed. She leaned  
back against her pillow, stifling a yawn. "I guess I didn't realize how tired I was  
getting," she mumbled, embarrassed for showing yet another sign of weakness around  
him.  
  
He perched on the edge of the bed beside her. "You'll get stronger," he told her,  
"after you rest for a while. That means no more walks at all hours of the night."   
  
She smiled weakly. "At least, not without an escort."  
  
"Right. Now, get some rest. I'll check on you in the morning."  
  
Usagi opened her mouth as if to say something, but she didn't.  
  
"What is it?" Trunks prompted.  
  
"Will... will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" her voice was barely above a  
whisper.  
  
While staring into those beautiful eyes, Trunks could deny her nothing. "Of course  
I will."  
  
"Arigato," she thanked him, her eyes closing.  
  
He watched her, listening to her breathing even out as she sank further and further  
into the world of sleep. He was about to leave when he heard her mumble, "Trunks  
-kun..."  
  
Turning back, Trunks asked softly, "Nani?"  
  
But she never finished her though, only curled into the blankets more and turned  
her head as if to look at him, a smile gracing her unconscious features.  
  
"Sleep well, sweet Usagi," he whispered.  
  
  
Usagi stood silently, the only sound her own steady breaths. She watched the  
trees around her, knowing that the quiet would not last long.  
  
As if reading her thoughts, a whisper echoed on the wind.  
  
'What is it?' she wondered as the wind increased, whipping her hair about her like a  
tornado.  
  
The howling grew louder, until finally she could make out a word.  
  
"Usagi..."  
  
She gasped. "That sounds like- "  
  
  
A groggy Usagi opened her eyes, groaning.  
  
That dream...  
  
The voice was familiar, yet she couldn't place it. And why the mysterious wind?  
  
Struggling to sit up, she noticed Trunks, who was asleep in the chair next to her  
bed.  
  
Smiling slightly, Usagi gently swung her legs off the bed and stood, padding across  
the room and shutting the door behind her as quietly as possible.  
  
  
"Ohayo!" Bulma greeted as Usagi entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the  
table, attempting to get baby Trunks to eat his breakfast.  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu," Usagi murmured as she sat down across from Bulma. She  
smiled as baby Trunks smeared his food all over his face.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Bulma asked as she wiped baby Trunks' face clean.  
  
"Can't complain."  
  
"Well, I still want to check everything out and make sure your wounds are healing."  
  
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Bulma-chan," Usagi chuckled.  
  
"Where is she?" Trunks burst into the room, eyes darting wildly before finally  
landing on Usagi. "Oh, thank kami! When I woke up and you were gone, I panicked."  
  
"No need, I'm here," Usagi answered, smiling in amusement at his  
overprotectiveness.  
  
Bulma raised an eyebrow at her son. "You were in her room last night?"  
  
The tips of Trunks' ears colored a bright red. "It's not what you think. I was out,  
and she was- and then I- and then we- aaahhhhh! I don't know!" he threw up his hands  
in frustration.  
  
By this time both women couldn't keep straight faces. They burst into laughter.  
  
"What you do in your spare time is no business of mine," Bulma teased. "I trust  
you." To Usagi she stage whispered behind her hand, "Watch out for him. He's a sly  
one."  
  
The look of pure annoyance on Trunks' face sent Usagi into another fit of giggles.  
  
Laughter finally subsiding, they managed to get through breakfast without throwing  
too many jokes in Trunks' direction. Even through his grumbling, his relief over Usagi  
was evident.  
  
"Now, let's go see how that scratch of yours is doing." Bulma led Usagi out of the  
room, leaving Trunks behind.  
  
'Hey, I want to know, too!' He stood quickly, jogging after the women.  
  
  
Once again Trunks found himself waiting. Was it just yesterday that Usagi had  
gotten hurt? The entire day was a blur.  
  
The door opened, startling him. A dazed Bulma stepped out, followed by Usagi.  
  
"Nani? What is that look for?" he wanted to know, nervous pains hitting him. "Is it  
bad?"  
  
It took a moment for Bulma to respond. "Iie. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The  
gash is... almost completely healed."  
  
"Demo... how could that be? Yesterday she was almost... Well, she wasn't  
healthy," he argued.  
  
Bulma shook her head. "I don't understand it myself."  
  
"The ginzouishou is a part of me. When I was hurt, it started to heal me slowly,"  
Usagi explained matter-of-factly.  
  
"This ginzouishou is... a part of you?" Bulma's mind reeled. "Where did it come  
from?"  
  
"It was passed down to me from Queen Serenity, my mother, after she died. The  
crystal lives in me. I am its power. It is mine. We have used our combined strength to  
protect everyone from evil."  
  
As a part of her mind tried to remember more, the cold breeze from her dream  
suddenly enveloped her. "Do you feel that?" she asked nervously, the hair on the back  
of her neck standing on end.  
  
"Feel what?" Trunks looked at her in confusion.  
  
"That wind... Where is it coming from?" She dashed out of the room, not stopping  
until she had reached the front door. She threw it open. "Who's there?"  
  
"Usagi..." the wind seemed to call to her.  
  
"Who is it?" She stepped onto the porch.  
  
"Usagi..."  
  
'That voice, it sounds so familiar,' she desperately tried to remember.  
  
"Usagi... Follow me..."  
  
"Hai, I'll follow..."  
  
"You're not going anywhere."  
  
Usagi spun around. "Mamoru?" she cried.  
  
  
  
Ack! Cliffhanger! I may not have written in a while, but i still know how to be mean. So, what did you think? Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Arigato!  



	5. Man from the past

Hey, I'm cranking the chapters out faster now! Proud? Less annoyed, at least? Anyhoo, I think this next one will really throw ya for a loop. If ya get a bit confused, then I did my job right! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
"Not quite," Vegeta stared back at her, his trademark smirk adorning his face.  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma and Trunks were now outside, both thrown by Vegeta's sudden  
appearance.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" Bulma exploded, her voice a mixture of anger and  
relief. Not waiting for a reply, she rushed over and threw her arms around him tightly.   
"I was so worried."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he replied gruffly, pushing her away, but not before  
squeezing her hand in reassurance.  
  
"Father, I've been out searching for you, but I couldn't find anything," Trunks spoke  
up. "Where were you?"  
  
"On a manhunt." Vegeta's piercing black eyes glared at Usagi. "And she knows  
who I was after."  
  
A confused look crossed over Usagi's face. "I do?"  
  
"Whose name did you call just now? Who is Mamoru?"  
  
"Mamoru?" A flood of memories rushed back at the sound of his name. He  
making fun of her odangos and she screaming at him. They fighting side by side as  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. Finding out they were reincarnated lovers of the past.   
Hugs and kisses and vows of love. And then, that last battle... Something tugged at  
her memory, but it still wouldn't come to her.  
  
"He may be the person after you," Trunks put in.  
  
Usagi had a sinking feeling in her chest. Were they really accusing him? "Iie!"  
she cried out, surprising even Vegeta. "He's not the one! He can't be!"  
  
With that, she flew past everyone into the house, slamming the door behind her.  
  
"Hmph!" Without warning, Vegeta flew off.  
  
Trunks moved to go after him, but Bulma placed a hand on his arm. "Let him be for  
now."  
  
He stared at his mother for a good, long moment before sighing. "Fine, I'll let him  
go. But I am going to check on Usagi."  
  
Bulma complied, and Trunks made his way through the house until he was  
standing outside of her room.  
  
Before he could knock, Usagi called, "Come in."  
  
'How did she know?' Entering the room, a wave of hopelessness and guilt washed  
over him. Since Usagi had no reliable memories or a clue as to who this assassin is,  
she needs to be protected. But so far, they had been failing miserably.  
  
"It's not your fault," Usagi interrupted his thoughts. She sat on a red-cushioned  
bench by the bay window, staring up at the moon fading out in the engulfing sunlight.  
  
"You... know what I was thinking?" He stepped up to her.  
  
"I don't read minds; I read emotions," she corrected, turning to stare him straight in  
the eye. "You're feeling guilty because you can't seem to protect me from this faceless  
enemy. It's not your fault," she reassured him as his chin dropped in defeat.  
  
"You've gotten hurt so many times."  
  
"But that's not your fault! You've tried to protect me, and that's what counts. I  
know none of you would ever let anything happen to me."  
  
"I still feel guilty..."  
  
Usagi leaned her head on his stomach, wrapping her arms around his waist in a  
hug that meant more to him than any words she could have spoken.  
  
She pulled back, tugging on Trunks' hands so he was sitting beside her. "Listen to  
me," she told him softly but firmly. "Out of everyone, you are the person most  
determined to keep me safe. Iie, listen to me," she cut him off when he moved to  
speak. "I have every faith that you will protect me as best you can. That's all you can  
do."  
  
"How can you put so much trust in me after what happened to you?" Trunks shook  
his head.  
  
"It wasn't your fault."  
  
At that moment, from the way she looked at him, he knew she spoke the truth.   
"Arigato."  
  
"For what?" Usagi was clearly surprised.  
  
"For everything. For being you." Before he realized what he was doing, Trunks  
leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers.  
  
Usagi stiffened. 'Did he...'  
  
He pulled away quickly, searching her face. 'Did I just...'  
  
"Gomen nasai, Usagi," he spit out, flustered. "I didn't mean to kiss you. It just  
happened..."  
  
"Don't be sorry."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Don't be sorry," Usagi repeated, eyes shining. "I'm not."  
  
Trunks could hardly believe his ears. She wasn't upset? Iie, far from it.  
  
Too caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice Usagi inching closer until her lips  
met his once again. His eyes widened, locking on hers.  
  
Usagi's mouth curled into a smile against his as she closed her eyes.  
  
How could Trunks not respond? He pulled her closer, showering her with kisses  
that made both of their hearts race. He relished every detail: her soft lips, the faint  
smell of roses in her hair, the way her fingertips pressed into his back ever so gently...   
He never wanted the moment to end.  
  
But Usagi pulled away, much to Trunks' disappointment. One of her hands  
lingered on his knee; the other covered her mouth.  
  
"Nani? What is it?"  
  
"Mamoru."  
  
That one name sucked any remaining magic out of the room. A tight knot began to  
form in Trunks' stomach. He didn't want to ask, but he knew he had to. "Who is this  
Mamoru?"  
  
Gaze down, Usagi answered in barely a whisper, "My boyfriend."  
  
'Such would be the reason she pulled away from me,' he thought numbly. "Why  
didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I just remembered a few moments ago," she answered meekly, knowing that the  
reply was a weak one at best. But Trunks seemed to believe her.  
  
"What do you remember?"  
  
She thought a minute, trying to find a place to begin. "We hated each other. He  
used to call me Odango Atama, and I wanted to punch him for it. We tolerated each  
other after a while, I guess. And then I found out he was Tuxedo Kamen, whom we had  
been fighting alongside. After we found the ginzouishou, all of the memories I had lost  
from the Moon Kingdom had come back. Mamoru and I had been ill-fated lovers that  
were reborn on the earth, thanks to my mother, Queen Serenity. We'd struggled  
almost every step of the way, but we managed to find our way back to each other."  
  
"It sounds very... destined."  
  
"Hai..." But something still plagued Usagi, and she couldn't pinpoint where her  
uneasy feeling was coming from. 'That last battle...' If only she could remember more  
about what had happened. "Something isn't right..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"That battle I was in before I came here. I know a piece of it is missing, but I don't  
know what that piece is. Why can't I remember anything important?"  
  
"Just concentrate," Trunks urged her, just as anxious as she was to get some  
answers.  
  
She paused. "We were standing together, all six of us. The other senshi, Tuxedo  
Kamen, and me. That battle had just begun, but I didn't know it was about to end  
also..."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Shaking her head, she muttered, "That's just it. I don't remember."  
  
"It's all right; there's no rush." He squeezed her shoulder gently. "You'll remember  
in time."  
  
"Yeah... But all this remembering didn't stop me from..." she trailed off.  
  
"From what?" he pressed.  
  
She looked up at him. "From liking you."  
  
Taken off guard by her confession, Trunks couldn't manage an answer.  
  
"The thing is, I have this boyfriend that I'm supposed to love very much. But when  
I'm with you, I feel warm, and safe, and so completely happy. On thing I don't feel  
when I'm with you, though, is guilty." Then he didn't reply she continued. "I don't know  
why I feel this way, but I do."  
  
"I feel the same way," he finally spoke. "I've tried to deny it, but the feelings won't  
go away. I can't stay away from you."  
  
"I don't want you to," she whispered, leaning in closer to him.  
  
Just then the window shattered, glass showering around them from behind.  
  
Usagi screamed, ducking her head. When there was no more glass in the air, she  
raised her head and looked outside. 'Did I just see... a flash of a black cape?'  
  
Before Trunks could even say anything, Usagi had jumped out the window. Even  
more to his amazement, she was flying! He quickly started after her.  
  
  
Eyes darting back and forth, Usagi flew in what she hoped was the direction of the  
mysterious stalker. Her thoughts were fuzzy, pulsing through her head faster than she  
could comprehend them.  
  
She just didn't get it. She's been in this new place for over a week. Her memories  
were slowly returning to her. She's been attacked and hurt on several occasions, and  
now two worlds seemed to be colliding around her.  
  
A wave of uncertainty washing over her, Usagi's speed faltered. Could she do this?   
Did she really have the courage to stand up to the person she hoped it wasn't? Well,  
she was about to find out.  
  
Stopping abruptly, she descended until her feet touched the solid earth below.   
Sapphire eyes scrutinized the area around her. To the normal human, all that was  
visible were the trees. But Usagi's eyes were trained to see past the outer layer, past  
the shell and straight into the tangled interior.  
  
And then she saw him.  
  
"You can come out now," she called, stoic. "I know you're here."  
  
As soon as the words were spoken, a figure stepped out of the shadows.  
  
Usagi's heart stopped. Although she had had her suspicions, nothing could have  
prepared her for actually having to face her worst nightmare.  
  
"Mamoru?" her voice choked out his name.  
  
"So now you know," he sneered, arms crossed defiantly across his broad chest.  
  
"It... really was you?" She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and stomp her  
feet and shake him until he admitted that everything had just been some cruel, inane  
joke. She silently pleaded for him to burst out laughing and say that he had fooled her.  
  
But he didn't. And she knew that it wasn't a joke.  
  
"Poor, poor Usagi, always out of the loop," he drawled, each syllable dripping with  
false concern. "You always were the last to know what was going on." His face  
hardened. "And now you'll pay dearly for it!"  
  
Usagi watched in horror as Mamoru transformed into Tuxedo Kamen in the blink of  
an eye, his once-cane morphing into a sword of the deadliest steel. She was barely  
able to jump out of the way when he flew past, close enough for her to touch.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" she cried, frantically searching his eyes for any  
remnants of the man she once knew.  
  
But his eyes were cold, as cold as the steel of the blade aimed at her. He  
smirked. "Oh, Usagi, you always were weak. Always relying on your precious senshi  
to protect you and clean up after all the messes you made. It's a wonder you're still  
alive! Now, don't fight this. You know you'll only lose in the end." He took a step  
toward her.  
  
"Iie, you can't," she whimpered hoarsely, shaking her head.  
  
He took another step.  
  
"Matte, we can talk about this! If we just calm down, I'm sure we-"  
  
"Typical!" he interrupted. "Sailor Moon never wanted to fight. She only talked.   
That's what makes you weak. You cannot win against me!" Once again he ran at her,  
ready to strike.  
  
Usagi willed him to stop, but he didn't. As he raised his sword high she screamed.  
  
  
Her own scream woke her. Falling out of bed, she hit the floor hard. Gasping for  
breath, Usagi looked around. She was in her room. Her room. Her own room.   
'Demo... How did I make it back home?'  
  
Standing quickly, she surveyed the room. Everything looked to be in its place.   
Clothes strewn at the foot of the closet, makeup cluttered the desk, her stuffed rabbit  
sitting perfectly straight on the nightstand...  
  
"I don't get it," she thought aloud. "Was it all just a dream?"  
  
"Hardly."  
  
Usagi spun around. There stood Mamoru, sword in hand, ready to slice her into  
two.  
  
She screamed.  
  
  
"Usagi. Usagi? Usagi, wake up!"  
  
At the insistent yell her eyes opened. She snapped up, confused. "I'm not home,"  
she whispered in disbelief.  
  
"Home? This is home for now," Trunks told her cautiously, trying not to overload  
the poor girl.  
  
"Iie, my other home..." She tried to explain. "I was outside, and then I woke up  
and I was home, but he was there waiting for me. He almost killed me."  
  
"You mean Mamoru?" Trunks questioned, trying to keep the loathing out of his  
voice.  
  
"Where is he?" she began to panic.  
  
"I got there just as he was going to strike you with his blade. He took off before I  
could get to him. Then you passed out."  
  
"He was real?" Usagi collapsed in exhaustion against Trunks' chest, almost  
instantly falling asleep. She unconsciously tangled her fingers in the front of his shirt.  
  
'Don't worry, Usagi,' he thought fondly, stroking the girl's back gently. 'I won't let  
anyone hurt you.'  
  
  
  
Ah, there's nothing like tragedy to bring two people closer together... or wrench them farther apart. See, this chapter wasn't so much a cliffie as the others were, so be happy! Review! I love to hear from you guys!!  



	6. Explanations

I am soooooo sorry for not posting in like 4 months!! I'm just getting used to this college thing (and especially the expanded amount of homework), so I haven't been writing much. But lately I decided to stop spending all my time working and try to get something productive done. The result: a new chapter! Yay! So I hope this clears some stuff up for you peeps about Usagi's situation. And I finally gave the fic a title! I dunno if it works for you guys, so tell me what you think. Hell, I've gone this long without one, so I wouldn't mind changing it. Okie, enjoy the new chapter!  
  
  
  
  
Usagi drifted in and out of sleep. She could still feel Trunks' arms acting as  
cushions around her, holding her close in an embrace that would have been comforting  
had the circumstances not been so terrible.  
  
What was happening to her? Could she not have a moment's peace, when she  
wasn't being hurt or threatened?  
  
Apparently not.  
  
Letting Trunks' voice soothe her raw nerves, Usagi finally opened her eyes. She  
found his gaze on her, his liquid blue eyes softening at her obvious pain.  
  
"Tell me what I can do to make you feel better," he wanted to know.  
  
"Just keep holding me," she murmured, pulling herself more into his arms, no  
longer afraid of being considered weak. She was strong, but she couldn't be strong all  
the time. And Trunks understood.  
  
He only exhaled softly, brushing her bangs off of her forehead to plant a kiss there.   
'If only that could save you, sweet Usagi,' he thought. 'Then you would never have to  
worry.'  
  
  
They weren't the only ones worrying, though. Bulma paced uneasily across the  
living room, back and forth, wanting to scream. Her husband was once again missing.   
Her son was repeatedly saving Usagi from an enemy that was once faceless but now  
wasn't.  
  
'What the hell is going on here?' she wondered to herself, halting her pacing.  
  
Before she could answer her own question, a door slammed, the sound  
reverberating through the house while shaking the walls. A moment later Vegeta  
entered the room, sporting a very unhappy scowl.  
  
"Damnit, Vegeta, where have you been?" Bulma screamed, catching the Saiya-jin  
prince off guard for once.  
  
"It's none of your-"  
  
"Like hell it's not!" she interrupted, stomping over until she was directly in front of  
him, her face mere inches away from his. "The last time you flew off I thought hey, you  
have things you need to do. When you finally show up you tell me nothing. And then  
you disappear again?" Her voice kept rising full octaves until she was almost shrieking.  
  
"Now, listen to me, woman," Vegeta growled.  
  
"Iie! That's all I do is listen! I'm not going to listen anymore, do you hear me? No  
more!" She balled her hands into fists and began to pound on Vegeta's chest. He  
made no move to stop her.  
  
"Why, why do I let you do these things to me?" her voice cracked as she began to  
sob.  
  
Vegeta too this opportunity to catch her fists. "Bulma..." he began as she lowered  
her head to his chest, still sobbing. "Bulma." He curled his arms around her, pulling  
her closer in an embrace that pressed her quivering form to his.  
  
"I was just-- so worried," she sobbed, her fingers digging into the bare flesh of his  
shoulders. "We don't know what that psycho is capable of, and you keep going after  
him."  
  
"Are you doubting my abilities?" his grip on her tightened.  
  
"Iie, I'm doubting his stability. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"It won't," he assured her. "It won't." He leaned in and captured her lips with his.  
  
Bulma hungrily sank into the kiss, needing to feel that sense of security. Plus,  
displays of affection from Vegeta were rare, so she wanted to savor the moment.  
  
But Vegeta broke the kiss, stepping away from Bulma. "I have to go back to my  
search," he told her almost reluctantly.  
  
Bulma didn't bother trying to argue; she knew she'd never change his mind. "Fine,  
but be careful."  
  
"Always." He gave her one quick kiss before leaving.  
  
She sighed wistfully. 'Vegeta...'  
  
Trunks had walked into the room at this time, just barely missing his father's  
outward display of affection.  
  
"Oh, Trunks, how is Usagi?" Bulma asked quickly, trying to hide the worry in her  
voice.  
  
Trunks didn't seem to notice. "Still pretty shaken up from that encounter with that  
man," he spit out the last few words with disgust.  
  
"Exactly who is that man?"  
  
"Someone from her past. It's too complicated to explain." He sighed, sinking into  
a chair and shaking his head. "I don't know what to do. I mean, I want to protect her  
from him, but I don't know where he is or how to find him."  
  
Bulma sat next to her son, taking his hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "Trunks,  
if anyone can protect Usagi, it's you. And with your father out there looking for this  
guy, the chances of finding him are increased. Don't worry."  
  
"But I do worry! I worry so much it hurts!" He looked his mother straight in the  
eye. "Kaa-san, I think I'm in love."  
  
Much to his surprise, Bulma only replied, "I could tell."  
  
He stared at her, dumbfounded. "How could you tell? I didn't even know! Is that  
one of those women's intuition things?"  
  
"Iie, it's one of those mother things," Bulma laughed, giving Trunks a quick hug. "I  
take it you haven't told Usagi yet?"  
  
"I'm almost afraid to," he confessed.  
  
"Trunks, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I've seen the way she  
looks at you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Absolutely. Now, if I were you, I'd go check on her. She's had a traumatic  
experience."  
  
"You're right." Trunks stood. "Arigato, Kaa-san. You made me feel better."  
  
"Anytime, son," Bulma said as he left the room.  
  
  
Once again Usagi found herself standing in the darkness, her trusty senshi backing  
her up.  
  
She could see Sailor Moon, but Usagi herself was detached from the scene, as if  
she were watching a movie.  
  
"Sailor Moon, watch out!" she heard Jupiter call as Sailor Moon dodged an attack.  
  
"All right, that's enough!" Sailor Moon cried, standing firm. She was addressing a  
figure slinking in the shadows. "Now, let's finish this."  
  
"Whatever you want, Sailor Moon." Evil Prince Endymion stepped out of the  
shadows, sneering at the champion of justice.  
  
"You traitor!" Venus swore. "You're going down!"  
  
He only laughed. "You honestly think you can take me? I've got more power than  
all five of you put together!"  
  
Mercury was busy typing furiously on her computer. "He may be right," she told  
the others. "We have to stand together, and maybe we'll have a chance."  
  
"Iie, this is my fight," Sailor Moon stated, her eyes glazing over as she glared at  
her former love.  
  
"Demo, we can help..."  
  
"I said no! I'll deal with him myself."  
  
"Good to see you haven't lost your touch, Sailor Moon," Endymion grinned  
mockingly. "Now, could I just kill you already? I'm growing bored."  
  
Sailor Moon's eyes flushed angrily. "You may have been able to kill our love, our  
future, and even taint the memories of our past, but you'll never kill me." She raised her  
moon rod. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"  
  
She and the other senshi watched as the attack flew at Endymion. They gasped in  
horror when he diverted it with no more than a wave of his hand.  
  
He laughed. "You'll have to do better than that. Now, prepare to die!" He raised  
his hands above his head, a glowing black ball of energy forming.  
  
"Minna, stay back," Sailor Moon warned her senshi.  
  
"Iie, let us help!" Mars protested.  
  
"I won't tell you again! It's not a request, it's an order! Now, Endy, let's go," she  
addressed him.  
  
He cringed at the pet name. "With pleasure."  
  
Sailor Moon once again aimed the moon rod at Endymion.  
  
Endymion lowered the energy ball, an evil grin adorning his face. "This is the end,  
Sailor Moon."  
  
"We'll see. Rainbow Moon..."  
  
Before she could finish her attack, Endymion launched the ball of energy at her.  
  
She stared in horror as the energy ball flew closer. "Minna..." she croaked before it  
hit her. She was slammed hard against the pavement, the energy cutting into her skin,  
filling her lungs, smothering her.  
  
"Sailor Moon!" the senshi shrieked, running over to their fallen leader. They bent  
over her lifeless body, tears streaming down their faces.  
  
"Iie," Usagi whispered as Sailor Moon didn't get up, didn't move, didn't breathe.   
"Iie!"  
  
  
"Usagi," Trunks shook the girl roughly as she screamed.  
  
Usagi's eyes flew open. "Iie!" she was still screaming.  
  
"Usagi, it's ok! You're awake now!" Trunks grabbed her face, forcing her wild eyes  
to focus on him. "I'm here."  
  
"Trunks," her voice cracked as she collapsed against him, crying.  
  
"Shhhh, you're all right now," he whispered, stroking her back gently, trying to  
comfort the trembling girl.  
  
"But I'm not," she whimpered. "I'm dead!"  
  
Trunks pulled back so he could look at her. "What do you mean, you're dead?"  
  
"He killed me! I finally remembered what happened in that battle before I was  
brought here. I wasn't strong enough, and he killed me."  
  
As she broke into more sobs, Trunks pulled her tightly to him. His eyes narrowed  
in hatred and fear. That bastard! How could he have killed her? Demo, she felt alive to  
him.  
  
As if hearing his unasked question, a gray mist began swirling around the room,  
surrounding everything until Trunks could barely see the girl who clung to him so  
tightly.  
  
When the fog began to dissipate, he was aware of another presence in the room.  
  
Next to the bed stood a woman he'd never seen before. She wore a fuku similar to  
that of Sailor Moon, only this woman's was accented by deep purple and maroon. Half  
of her emerald hair was pulled into a bun, while the rest cascaded down her back to her  
knees. In her left hand she held a tall staff in the shape of a large key.  
  
Usagi felt her presence, and she looked up. "Pluto?" she asked hesitantly, eyes  
wide.  
  
"My princess," Sailor Pluto bowed before her.  
  
"Pluto, what- how did you know where I was?"  
  
The older senshi stood. "I sent you here."  
  
"Nani?" Trunks and Usagi both cried simultaneously.  
  
"Pluto, I demand an explanation," Usagi ordered.  
  
"Matte..." Trunks interrupted, still holding Usagi protectively. "Who is she?"  
  
Usagi's eyes never left Pluto's. "This is the senshi of time, Sailor Pluto. She  
normally resides in a timeless vortex and guards the Gate of Time, but I guess we're  
privileged enough to have her come to us." Her words took on a sharp edge. "She's  
going to explain why both she and I are here. And the explanations had better be  
damn good."  
  
"My princess, I trust that when you hear my reasoning, you will agree that my  
actions were for the best."  
  
"Very well, then. You have not steered me wrong yet."  
  
Pluto nodded, taking Usagi's half-smile as a cue to start her tale. "You know it is  
forbidden for me to alter time and actions, but this was for the good of the world. I  
watched your battle with my prince with the utmost scrutiny. It was never supposed to  
happen. Then again, he was never supposed to cross over."  
  
"What do you mean, cross over?" Trunks wanted to know.  
  
Pluto glanced at Usagi, whose face was expressionless. She continued. "He was  
tempted with dark powers, and he gave in to them instead of trying to fight them."  
  
"You mean, it was his own choice?"  
  
She nodded sadly. "Hai, unfortunately. Anyway, you wanted to know why you  
were brought here, and you are probably wondering how you are alive. Well, you were  
never dead, at least not completely. You were barely breathing and your heart had  
slowed until your heartbeat was almost nothing, but you were never dead. It just  
appeared that way. If I had not taken your body as quickly as I did, I know Mercury  
would have figured it out."  
  
"You took me from the battle?" Usagi grew agitated with this information. "What  
about my senshi? Were they just left there to face Endymion?"  
  
"Iie, of course not," Pluto reassured her. "After you disappeared, so did he. The  
senshi did not know what happened. They are all safe. At least, as safe as they can  
be. You have to defeat him. It's the only way to save everyone."  
  
"Demo... why did you send her here?" Trunks was still confused, and he was  
growing irritated that everything was not coming together quickly. (that temper was  
inherited from his father. ^*^ )  
  
"I knew of another dimension with strong warriors. I believed that if Usagi spent  
time with these warriors, she would increase her own strength, which would allow her to  
defeat Endymion and save both her senshi and the world. That is why I sent her to  
you."  
  
"To... me?" Trunks repeated wonderingly.  
  
"Not just to you, but to all of you. I have been watching her training, and I am very  
impressed with how much her strength has increased in the short amount of time she  
has been here. I believe that if she were faced with Endymion in a fight, she might be  
able to defeat him."  
  
"Demo demo, look what happened last time!" Usagi panicked, darting her eyes  
nervously. "He would have chopped off my head if it weren't for Trunks! I can't beat  
him!"  
  
"You can, Usagi," Trunks told her softly. "Before you were caught off guard, and  
you were still sorting through your feelings. Now that you remember what happened,  
that will make you stronger next time you have to fight him."  
  
"Do you... really think so?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Usagi grinned up at the man who held her. "I trust you."  
  
"It will take a lot more than trust to win this fight," Pluto warned. "You have to be  
ready to make the ultimate sacrifice: to kill your love."  
  
Her face took on a look of solemnity. "He's not my love any more."  
  
"I must leave you now. I have already stayed too long."  
  
"All right. Arigato, Pluto, for saving my life."  
  
The stoic senshi smiled before she disappeared in another cloud of smoke.  
  
"Now what?" Trunks asked when she was gone.  
  
"Now we kick some evil ass."  
  
  
  
  
So, how was it? I tried to throw in some background to get to the actual plot of the fic. Plus I got to bring in Pluto. All hail the time senshi! Anyway... The next chapter should have a lot more action in it. And don't worry, I'll reach the romance soon! If ya don't have author alert and wanna know when I update, just leave your e-mail addy in your review and I'll add it to the list. Thanks for reading! 


	7. Confessions

Here ya go, the next installment of Between Two Worlds!! I know, it's been a while since my last post, but I've been having a bit of writer's block (that seems to have cleared up somewhat, so don't worry). So here it is, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, but you knew that already...  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you're strong enough to take him on?"  
  
"It's not like I have a choice."  
  
"Hai, you do. I could always fight--"  
  
"Iie!" she interjected, startling Trunks. "Iie," she repeated more quietly. "This is my  
fight."  
  
Trunks knew better than to argue. In the short time that Usagi had been there, she  
had more than proven that she would not give in when her mind was set on something.   
Still, he worried. She was strong, both physically and mentally. But she was still  
fragile, and no matter what she thought or felt, she might not be able to fight-especially  
her old love.  
  
As if reading his thoughts, Usagi let out a deep breath. "I don't know if I can do  
this... All of these memories rushing back, not to mention what's been happening  
lately, it's all so much."  
  
He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, replying, "I know it's a lot to take in, but  
you're strong. You're strong, and you're beautiful, and I can honestly say that you are  
one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I admire you more than you know, and I  
have complete faith that you will win." He blinked in surprise, not knowing where that  
little speech came from all of a sudden.  
  
Apparently Usagi was surprised too, for her mouth was agape. She glanced up at  
his face quickly, then averted her gaze to something interesting on the carpet.  
  
He took her chin in his hand gently, making her look up at him. He gulped. 'It's now  
or never.'  
  
He tried to speak, but his brain couldn't get the words to form. A streak of fear  
attacked him as he imagined how she would react to his confession. Then again,  
everything that had happened so far had been unpredictable, so why bother guessing at  
her reaction now? Plus, the way she gazed at him gave him the courage he needed to  
speak.  
  
"Usagi..." her name floated off of his tongue and hung in the air as she waited for  
him to continue. "I don't know if I told you this, but I'm really happy you've been here for  
these past few weeks. I enjoy your company--"  
  
"Aww, Trunks, that's so sweet," Usagi interrupted cluelessly, not aware that he had  
more to say.  
  
After her outburst and the way the conversation was slowly turning, Trunks was  
unsure that he should continue, but he finally forced himself to keep talking.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Usagi, you've been through so much, and I know you don't  
need any added stress, but I really need to tell you something." He took a deep  
breath. "Usagi, I lo--"  
  
"There you are." Vegeta's voice echoed in the room.  
  
Trunks growled in frustration. Damnit! Would he ever get to tell her? He looked up  
to see his father standing there with his arms crossed, obviously pissed. He groaned  
inwardly. Now what?  
  
"Vegeta, what is it?" Usagi asked when no one spoke. A look of confusion crossed  
her face.  
  
"The one you call Mamoru is back," Vegeta stated bluntly, his voice devoid of  
emotion.  
  
"Nani?" Usagi screeched, jumping up. "How do you know?"  
  
"I recognize his ki from before." He was impatient, annoyed that she even asked  
such a question.  
  
Trunks glanced at his father, all too aware of Vegeta's glare accusing him of not  
noticing the ki himself. But Trunks had other things to worry about first.  
  
Usagi paid no attention to the two. 'He's back so soon after attacking me? How  
-why--' she could barely finish a thought. How was she supposed to deal with this now?  
  
Then she thought about everything that had happened, how she had been hurt. He  
would go after her senshi, her friends... He wouldn't stop.  
  
Usagi knew what she had to do. She stood quickly. Her eyes softened when she  
glimpsed at Trunks' worry-laden expression.  
  
"Trunks, I have to go," she said calmly, as though her life were not on the line.  
  
"Iie, Usagi, you can't," he interposed. "I refuse--"  
  
"This is not your decision," she stated firmly in a voice that made even Vegeta's  
cool stance falter for half a second. "This is my fight and I will fight it."  
  
She moved to fly out an open window but turned at the last second. Crossing the  
room, she grabbed Trunks' face and kissed him quickly. She whispered in his ear, "I  
know what you were trying to say. Just so you know, I love you, too." And then she  
was gone.  
  
The only evidence that she had said anything at all was Trunks' wide eyes and  
gaping mouth and Vegeta's knowing smirk as, with a Saiya-jin's keen sense of hearing,  
he knew of Usagi's confession.  
  
'She loves me?' Trunks' mind was trying to process. 'She loves... me? She knew!   
And now she's going off to fight the most difficult and dangerous battle of her life.'  
  
"I have to go after her!" he burst out suddenly, following in the direction Usagi flew off  
in.  
  
"Damn these human emotions," Vegeta muttered before also taking to the skies.  
  
  
Usagi's mind was focused on only one thing: victory. She had to defeat Mamoru.   
She just had to. Her life depended on it. Her senshi's lives depended on it. They  
depended on her.  
  
"But am I strong enough to do this?" she asked aloud, afraid of her own answer.  
  
"Of course you are," a voice came from behind her.  
  
Usagi was so startled at hearing another voice that she forgot that she was flying  
and promptly began to lose altitude. Giving a small yelp, she quickly regained her  
composure. "Trunks?"  
  
The young Saiya-jin sped up so that he was flying beside her. "I couldn't let you go  
without me."  
  
She heaved a sigh at this same tired argument. "Trunks, I told you that--"  
  
"You want to fight by yourself and, although I do not agree, I will comply to your  
wishes. Demo, I wasn't about to let the woman I love face such a situation alone."  
  
At this Usagi abruptly stopped, hovering in midair.  
  
Trunks did the same. "Why did you stop?"  
  
"You said you loved me."  
  
"I know," Trunks replied hesitantly. He watched Usagi carefully, looking for any sign  
of-what, he wasn't sure, but something, anything, that would give him hope.  
  
It didn't take much. Usagi launched herself at Trunks, taking his lips with hers in a  
kiss that defied passion itself. Her body molded perfectly to his, as she knew it would.  
  
Trunks finally pulled away when that nagging alarm went off that he needed to  
breathe. "You know, for a novice flyer, it took me some effort to catch up to you," he  
teased, a sparkle in his eyes.  
  
She slapped his arm playfully. "You must be losing your touch."  
  
"Oh, I hope not." He lightly ran his index finger up her arm, making her shiver. He  
smiled wickedly. "Guess not."  
  
A pretty red blush crept onto Usagi's cheeks. "We'll just have to see later." Her  
grin widened when the same blush she sported now adorned his face.  
  
But she quickly lost her grin as a note of seriousness entered her voice. "Trunks, I  
wasn't joking when I said that I would fight alone."  
  
"Demo--"  
  
"Trunks, would you step in and fight for Gohan? For Goku? For your father? Iie,  
because it wouldn't be honorable. Let me do the honorable thing."  
  
'Damnit, she's right!' Trunks admitted to himself in frustration. 'The worst thing you  
could do to a Saiya-jin is to take away his honor. As much as I hate this, I'm going to  
have to step back.'  
  
"Fine, I'll let you fight," he gave in with reluctance. "I understand why you have to do  
this. I hate it, but I have no choice."  
  
"You're right, you don't." She took his hands in hers and held them tightly over her  
heart. "Don't worry. I'm going to win. I'm going to win because I want to come back to  
you, to the man I love."  
  
He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "And you will."  
  
They both glanced to the east as something glinted in the sky.  
  
"Here comes Vegeta," Usagi observed. "Guess we better go."  
  
"Guess so." He gave Usagi's hands a quick squeeze before letting go and flying off,  
Usagi not far behind.  
  
  
  
  
  
I know, it was a lot shorter than the other chapters, but I figure I'd give you guys something instead of making you wait longer for a really long chapter. I estimate that there are only a couple chapters left. At least, I'm gonna try and wrap everything up in a couple of chapters. We'll see what happens. Well, as always, thanks for reading and please review! It motivates me to write faster. 


	8. The awaited confrontation

I know, it took me forever, to get this out, but I've been swamped with homework! Plus I'm writing my new Bulma/Veggie fic, so that's taking up my time, too... But look, here's another chapter! It's a bit longer than the last one, so be happy, and read on!  
  
  
  
It didn't take long to find their intended battleground. Usagi, although not trained to  
recognize ki, did feel a familiar presence pulling her in a certain direction. After flying  
for a few minutes, she quickly recognized her surroundings. How fitting it was that he  
brought her back to the place she had almost died, the place where she was reborn in  
another existence, given another chance to live, to love. She glanced at Trunks, who  
landed in the familiar clearing beside her. A frown swept across her features. He  
would have an advantage here, since this was where he opened the portal to travel to  
this dimension. It was a power booster. Then again, she has an advantage, too; she  
was fighting for the people she loved, and that gave her more strength than she knew  
she was capable of ever possessing otherwise.  
  
After a quick sweep of the area, Usagi's eyes finally settled on a particularly thick  
tree that seemed to be dead, definitely a contrast to the others that were still green.  
  
Focusing her thoughts, concentrating hard, Usagi sent out a mental message. 'I  
see you. Now come out and fight.'  
  
"With pleasure, my dear Usagi," Endymion sneered as he slowly ambled away  
from the trees, stopping not ten feet from her.  
  
"It'll be the last pleasure you'll feel," Usagi growled.  
  
"Shut up and let's fight already!"  
  
Before she could respond, Usagi was swept up into a circle of silver, completely  
surrounded.  
  
Trunks stood off to the side, watching worriedly. What the hell was going on?   
Was he doing this to her? He glanced at the other man, who was just as transfixed  
with Usagi as he was. He took that as a no.  
  
Usagi could feel the warmth of the ginzouishou inside of her, growing warmer until  
the heat seared her skin. She felt as if her blood were boiling! A stabbing pain fell  
upon her forehead for a brief second. When the pain went away, she knew she would  
have the trademark crescent moon of the Lunarian royal family. Her hair had also  
grown longer and now sparkled a brilliant silver. Finally her body began to cool as the  
silver light faded. Looking down, she saw the silken white material of the dress that  
hugged her torso and billowed out at the waist.  
  
Trunks rubbed his eyes, wondering if he were seeing things. But no, she was still  
there; it looked like her, but it didn't. He was very confused.  
  
Unlike Trunks, Endymion was not. His lips had once again curled into a degrading  
sneer. "Serenity, it's about time you showed up."  
  
"I am pleased that you were waiting for me, Endymion," Serenity's voice was lower  
and more clear than her counterpart's.  
  
'Wait a minute... Serenity?' Trunks wracked his brain for an explanation. He knew  
that name...  
  
  
**********  
"I'm a princess..."  
"The crystal lives in me. I am its power. It is mine..."  
"We were reborn thanks to my mother, Queen Serenity..."  
**********  
  
  
That's it! It dawned on Trunks finally as he remembered bits and pieces of their  
conversations. Usagi was Serenity! That would explain all of the power radiating from  
her now.  
  
Turning back to the two, Trunks didn't even acknowledge when Vegeta landed  
beside him.  
  
"What the hell?" Vegeta nodded to Serenity.  
  
"Remember when Usagi said that she was a princess? Well, there she is."  
  
Vegeta merely hmphed, his arms folded across his chest, a frown adorning his  
lips.  
  
Serenity paid no attention to the men at her left. She was too busy watching the  
man in front of her, the one she used to love, the one she wished she could loathe with  
all of her being but couldn't for some strange reason.  
  
"Endymion," Serenity began, taking a step toward him. "I realize that you made  
some mistakes, but I don't think that you should be condemned for them." She  
lowered her gaze for a second. "I made some mistakes also, but they can be  
corrected." She met his eyes. "I could heal you."  
  
"Could you?" Endymion asked, his eyes shining with hope. "I'd be so happy if you  
could just--shut the hell up!" he snarled at her, drawing his sword, his hand running  
across the glinting blade all the way to the point.  
  
"Gomen nasai," Serenity whispered sadly. Once again she was engulfed in a  
bright light, and a minute later she stood as Sailor Moon. "But you know the  
consequences," her voice hardened, eyes flashing dangerously. "Come on, Endy,  
come and get me!"  
  
Trunks watched in horror as Endymion, sword in tow, lunged at Sailor Moon,  
swinging the blade at her with deadly force.  
  
Sailor Moon closed her eyes. This was the end... for him. She opened her eyes to  
see a shocked Endymion staring back at her as she caught the blade flat between her  
palms, just inches before he would have plunged it through her heart. With newfound  
strength, she pushed the sword into his chest, knocking him backwards. The sword  
left his hand, tumbling forgotten into the trees.  
  
Both stood, furiously glaring at one another, neither relenting to the other.  
  
Trunks had never seen her so sure of herself, so determined... Even Vegeta found  
it difficult to take in how much stronger she had become in the short amount of time  
she had been there. Kami forbid, he was even beginning to respect her for it! If there  
was one thing he respected, it was fighting no matter what or how you felt.  
  
Usagi definitely had that quality. She was by no means a cruel and hateful person,  
but she knew what she had to do.  
  
"I wasn't joking; I could heal you," Sailor Moon tried once again to get through to  
her brazen ex-love.  
  
"So I could become a pansy like your little boy toy there?" Endymion sneered in  
Trunks' direction, a look of pure disgust crossing his features.  
  
"I take that as a no," she muttered before lunging at him. Her knuckles cracked as  
her fist smashed into his jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground. "Never talk about  
him," she growled menacingly, watching him gracefully jump to his feet. He spit out a  
mouthful of blood.  
  
"You got it, sweetie," he grinned mockingly, taking a step closer to her. He  
watched her, waiting for her to make a move. When she did he was ready.  
  
She swung her leg around to kick him in the side, but he grabbed her foot and  
pushed it the other way, making her lose her balance.  
  
Quickly regaining her footing, Sailor Moon swung a fist at him, smiling when it  
made contact with his stomach. As he doubled over in pain, she took the opportunity  
to grab him by the hair, yank his head up, and punch him in the jaw again.  
"Bitch!" he hissed as he swiftly kicked her legs from the back, causing her to  
buckle to the ground. Wasting no time, he pushed her back into the earth and  
straddled her stomach, holding her hands with one of his. "Who has the upper hand  
now?"  
  
She didn't get a chance to retort because his free hand closed around her throat,  
putting pressure on her windpipe.  
  
Sailor Moon's eyes bulged out as she struggled to free her hands to no avail. Her  
legs were flailing, but they only made contact with air.  
  
"Iie! Usagi!" Trunks couldn't watch the woman he loved die at the hands of this  
psycho!  
  
"Stay back," Vegeta grabbed his arm, roughly yanking him back, never taking his  
eyes off of the struggle.  
  
"I can't. He might kill her!" the young Saiya-jin exploded, his ki rising in both anger  
and desperation. How could Vegeta expect him to stay out of it?  
  
"Give her time," was all Vegeta said.  
  
Trunks knew he had no choice but to stay out of it. Vegeta would never let him  
help. 'Kami, please help her.'  
  
  
Sailor Moon could feel the outline each finger was making on her throat. As much  
as she tried, she couldn't seem to gather the strength to throw him off of her.  
  
A little voice was breaking through in the back of her mind. She strained to hear  
what it said. "I believe in you," the voice floated melodically in her head. "Believe in  
your own strength." If she had the option, she would have smiled.  
  
As if recharged, Sailor Moon suddenly threw Endymion off of her, seemingly  
effortlessly. She stood, gasping for breath. Walking over to him, as he sat up, she  
bent down next to him and placed her hand on his forehead. A silver glow emitted from  
her hand, surrounding the both of them.  
  
She closed her eyes, letting the power of the ginzouishou flow out of her fingertips.   
She could feel it working.  
  
Taking her hand away, the silver faded. Endymion's lifeless body rose into the air,  
floating above her head. In a sudden shimmer, a projection of him appeared beside his  
body. "Serenity," he smiled warmly.  
  
Looking down, she found that she was indeed Princess Serenity. "Endymion, I  
didn't mean to... I had no other choice," she began.  
  
"You did what you had to do," he brushed away her guilt. "Do not worry. I will be  
reborn. We will meet again..."  
  
"Hai, again," she agreed, never taking her eyes off of the sky until his projection  
and body faded.  
  
She slowly made her way over to the two men who were waiting for her.  
  
"Usagi, I thought I would lose you," Trunks murmured, his eyes sparkling with  
unshed tears.  
  
"You'll never lose me," she whispered as she collapsed in his arms, losing  
consciousness.  
  
  
  
  
Confused? Yeah, I had a feeling that might happen. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll answer em when I post the last chap... Yep, the next one will more than likely be the last... I want to thank everyone who stayed with me through this entire fic, through my loooooong spout of writer's block, and my less than frequent postings... I love you all! And don't worry, I'll throw in some Trunks/Usagi stuff in the next chap because I know you people are desperate for it! 


	9. Home

Once again, I apologize for taking so long to get this out... I completely underestimated how much homework I had. Anyway, may I present to you the last chapter of my crossover! I know, I know, it's already over... But read on and tell me what you think of it. Enjoy!  
  
  
Disclaimer: This is so not necessary at this point in the fic...  
  
  
  
  
"Usagi? Usagi! Hey, I think she's coming to!"  
  
Usagi groaned. She could hear all of these voices. They were loud, and she was  
trying to sleep. Didn't they realize that? She wanted to tell them to leave her alone,  
but her lips wouldn't form the words.  
  
Opening her eyes, she winced at the harsh light that invaded them. She closed  
her eyes again.  
  
"Usagi, wake up," a voice called to her softly.  
  
That voice... She recognized that voice... Trunks? She opened her eyes more  
slowly this time to preserve her sensitive eyes. A wonderfully familiar face stared down  
at her.  
  
"Ohayo, sleeping beauty," Trunks murmured, taking her hand and kissing it.  
  
"Mmm, " a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "How long have I  
been sleeping?"  
  
"Almost a day. You were exhausted after you... what happened," he changed his  
words.  
  
Usagi caught his first word choice but stayed silent; she really wasn't in the mood  
for a debate. Instead she decided to focus on all of the good things. "I did it... I  
healed him."  
  
"Hai, you did... and I couldn't love you more for it."  
  
She stared up at him, arching an eyebrow in a silent question.  
  
"Even though he had hurt you, hell, almost killed you, you saw that he still had  
good in him and saved him. You are amazing."  
  
A blush crept onto her pale cheeks. "Not really..."  
  
"Don't argue. I'm right." He leaned over to give her a kiss, but he quickly  
remembered that Bulma was in the room with them. He glanced behind him to see  
that Bulma was watching the scene, a knowing smile on her face.  
  
Clearing his throat, Trunks stood back up. "Well, I'm just happy that you're all  
right."  
  
We all are," Bulma spoke up, walking over to the bed. She gazed down at the girl  
in the bed that was so brave for someone her age. From the time she arrived, Bulma  
had come to think of her as a daughter, as protective over her as her own son. She  
secretly thought that Usagi would fit in perfectly with their family. She had put Bulma  
through almost as much stress as Trunks had!  
  
"Well, I only did what needed to be done," Usagi answered as she sat up, swinging  
her legs off the bed.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" Trunks asked teasingly.  
  
Before Usagi would answer, a low rumb filled the temporary silence. "To get  
some food," she smiled sheepishly.  
  
  
Once fed, the three were talking over coffee at the kitchen table. Bulma was telling  
stories of some of the adventures the gang had, and they were all having a much  
-needed laugh after all of the drama of the past few weeks.  
  
Little did they know that they were about to be interrupted.  
  
Usagi smiled as she listened to Bulma's story. But for some strange reason, her  
mind had begun to wander. She could feel something...  
  
She didn't even notice that Bulma had stopped talking and was starting at her in  
concern.  
  
Bulma placed a hand on Usagi's arm. "Usagi, is something wrong?"  
  
"Huh?" Usagi looked up. "Oh. I feel... something." She jumped up and ran out  
the back door, followed by a worried Trunks and Bulma.  
  
Stopping in the middle of the backyard, Usagi stared up into the sky. 'Come on,'  
she thought impatiently.  
  
She didn't have to wait long. A gray cloud of smoke appeared, and a minute later  
Sailor Pluto emerged, standing in front of Usagi. 


	10. Not Normal: start of the sequel

Hey, look at this! After all of the threats I received on the last chapter, I decided to start on a sequel! Took me long enough, ne? Well, it was only an 8 month hiatus! ^*^ First thing's first. I have decided to revise the story. The plot and all that fun stuff will be the same... I'm just gonna try to clean up the grammar and dialogue and add more description. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, I know I left the story off at an absolutely evil place, but I did so just in case I ever felt like doing a sequel. And lo and behold, you guys demanded one! So here it is, the next installment of B2W!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
With a sudden burst of speed, she continued to run through the forest, dodging low  
tree limbs and leaping over surfaced roots. She didn't need to glance behind her to  
know that he had also picked up speed and was gaining on her. Forget that she had a  
lead on him; he would soon be closing the gap between them.  
  
She had just made it out into a clearing of grass when a pair of strong arms threw  
themselves around her waist, tackling her to the ground. She and the assailant rolled  
over a few times before finally stopping, leaving her trapped beneath him. Between her  
panting, she managed to gasp out, "Looks like you've caught me."  
  
Cerulean blue eyes stared back at her, a wicked glint in them. "Looks like it," he  
agreed with a smirk, his face inching closer to hers. Just as their lips were about to  
touch...  
  
"Trunks! Usagi! Where the hell are you two?!" a voice echoed loudly through the  
forest and reached their ears.  
  
Groaning, Trunks collapsed against the girl, his face buried in her soft golden hair.   
"Miles from the house, we can still hear her," his muffled voice floated up to her ears,  
causing her to giggle.  
  
"Bulma definitely has a knack for that," Usagi bemused, gently pushing Trunks  
away from her. He stood, extending a hand to help her up. They began to make their  
way back to Capsule Corp. at a leisurely pace, hands still entwined. Sure, they knew  
Bulma was waiting, but they weren't about to cut their alone time short.  
  
Lately, they found it harder and harder to find any time to spend with just  
themselves. There was always a distraction around, whether it was their friends  
dropping by for unexpected visits or his mother's unusually eager suggestions on how  
they should have a nice evening of family togetherness. Those always resulted in  
screaming, sarcastic jokes, and the occasional food fight.  
  
For whatever reason, Bulma had been reluctant to leave the couple alone, almost  
as if she were afraid something was going to happen to them. But that was ridiculous.   
It had been six months since Usagi's being attacked, and it had been peaceful ever  
since. Trunks just summed it up to raw nerves.  
  
A good twenty minutes later, they strolled into the kitchen, only to be greeted by a  
livid Bulma wielding a very large spatula, which she waved around emphatically.   
"Where were you?" she screeched, causing them to almost cringe. "I told you dinner  
would be ready in a few minutes, and then you disappeared!"  
  
Exchanging a perplexed look with Usagi, Trunks braced himself for the continuation  
of a verbal lashing. He was surprised when Bulma's angered scowl broke off into a  
small smile.  
  
"I'll let it slide, this time," Bulma spoke as she ushered them into the dining room.  
  
What they saw made them stop. The table was lavishly set, complete with lace  
tablecloth and fine china. It was piled to maximum capacity with several dishes of  
food. But that wasn't what surprised them the most. At the head of the table sat none  
other than... Vegeta?  
  
Usagi knew her mouth was hanging open in shock, but she couldn't seem to will  
herself to close it. Vegeta was actually dining with them? This was a first! Now she  
knew something was wrong...  
  
"Well, sit down already!" Bulma's voice interrupted the eerie silence. Doing as told,  
Usagi and Trunks took a seat side by side at the table, while Bulma sat between  
Vegeta and baby Trunks, who was messily slinging food all over his high chair.  
  
Unable to take the suspense any longer, Usagi blurted out, "All right, what's going  
on?" All she received was a blank look from Bulma and a trademark smirk from  
Vegeta. "I know something's up, because this--" she gestured to the table--"isn't  
normal, not by a long shot. So what's the deal?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Bulma forced a smile that did indeed look forced.   
  
At this, even Vegeta couldn't keep quiet. "You've been more annoying lately with  
your nagging and requests for asinine gatherings," he scoffed bluntly, arms crossed  
over his chest.  
  
Bulma laughed. Ridiculous! His comment was completely ridiculous! All right, so  
it might have held some ring of truth to it, but still... Asinine? Really! "Nothing's up,  
really," she insisted, helping herself to a roll from the bowl beside her plate.  
  
At Usagi and Trunks's skeptical glances, she knew that she had better start  
talking. Heaving a sigh, Bulma looked at Trunks, then Usagi, then back again. "I just  
couldn't help it. I want to spend as much time as possible with you. I'm going to miss  
you so much." As tears threatened to spill, she tried desperately to blink them away.  
  
Usagi could tell that they were missing a pretty large piece of information. And  
whatever it was, Bulma was not happy about it. "Bulma, what do you mean, you're  
going to miss us?" she asked the older woman gently.  
  
Her voice steady and even, Bulma replied quietly. "You're going home. Back to  
your own dimension."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ooh, mysterious! I know it was short. Very short, actually. Still, at least I got it out! I'm sure that, for those of you who read this a while back, you can tell that there's been a major difference in my writing style. Hopefully for the better, too. Anyway... I'm not gonna lie... I'll try to update as frequently as I can, but it'll probly be every other week or so. I'm currently working on 4 other fics, and I have 2 more possibly in the works. I'll try my best to update fast, though! So if you want me to continue on with this fic, please review! I love to hear what you think! 


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